After deadly school shootings at Columbine, Sandy Hook, and Parkland, many states mandated School Resource Officers or provided funding for districts to hire them. Lawmakers also considered arming teachers. Florida now requires a law enforcement officer or trained school guardian in every school. By examining every recorded incident where one or … [Read more...]
Presence of Armed School Officials and Fatal and Nonfatal Gunshot Injuries During Mass School Shootings, United States, 1980-2019
Why Many Mass Shooters Are ‘Loners’
The man accused of killing 22 people and injuring dozens more at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, this weekend was an “extreme loner” who was “picked on” for his voice and his clothes, the Los Angeles Times reported. The lonely life of the suspect, who is widely reported to be 21-year-old Patrick Crusius of Allen, Texas, reveals a troubling pathway … [Read more...]
Colorado shooting eerily recalls Columbine massacre
A few weeks after the 20-year anniversary of the Columbine massacre, the nation is grappling with yet another school shooting. The Violence Project founders Jill Peterson and James Densley used their research into mass shootings to show the similarities between the recent tragedy and Columbine. The two shootings were both committed by two school … [Read more...]
School shootings didn’t start in 1999 at Columbine. Here’s why that disaster became a blueprint for other killers and created the ‘Columbine Generation’
Why did the April 20, 1999, mass shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado become a blueprint for future shooters? After all, it was hardly the first time that shootings took place on school campuses. This post looks into how “society and culture have reared a Columbine generation,” and what role the media played. Read … [Read more...]
Current school safety measures aren’t enough to prevent shootings
The Violence Project's co-founder James Densley sat down with Manda Lillie and Angela Davis to discuss school shooting prevention. Densley said he would like to see "the conversation move away from lockdown culture." Their conversation also included Rick Kaufman, head of the Columbine crisis-response team. Kaufman and Densley agreed that there … [Read more...]